For storage of solar-produced heat, and cold, a tank of water (or other liquid) surrounded by a truckload of stones has proven very effective, and low in cost, see Thomason U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,254,702; 3,254,703; 3,295,591; 3,236,294; 3,369,541; 3,412,728; 3,812,903 (other Patents Pending by Thomason and Thomason). Many solar home heating systems are in existence and being built using those inventions.
In most instances a home that is already in existence uses hot air or hot water for home heating. Virtually all homes have running hot domestic water. And, in many cases, new homes are being built with baseboard hot water heat, or other types of hot water heat, or hot air.
Many inventors fail to realize the importance of getting solar-produced heat in to storage quickly, at the lowest temperature possible. The fluid being heated in the solar collectors should give up its heat to storage quickly, so that the fluid can return to the collectors at low temperature. That low temperature fluid, in turn, picks up more heat from the collectors. The collectors, in turn, operate at lower temperatures. Operating at lower temperatures, they are more efficient and obtain more free heat from the sun. The present invention gets the heat from the sun in to storage rapidly and efficiently, and then that heat is recovered from storage rapidly and efficiently.
Many apartment houses, office buildings, warehouses, factories, etc. use large quantities of warm or hot water for heating, processing, domestic purposes, etc. And, there are many other applications requiring warm or hot water.
Electricity to produce heat during off-peak periods can be obtained at half-price in many areas. In some other cases, off-peak energy (gas, etc.) is available to produce heat at low cost, if it can be stored for use later.
So, there is a need for warm and hot water, not only on sunny days but, by stored heat, on nights and cloudy days. Much of that need is for both Summer and Winter, plus Autumn and Springtime, that is, 365 days a year. Often there is also a need for hot air, or hot water space heating. The present invention fills those needs, at low costs.